4/28/2010 @ 6:00PM

The World's Most Wired Airports

When Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted in mid-April, stranding travelers in airports around the world, many turned to wi-fi to keep connected. For these “volcano refugees,” wi-fi was a convenient way to send e-mail, check weather and flight information or just pass the time. Some airports, such as Stockholm’s Arlanda, even waived their normal wi-fi fees so frustrated travelers could get online for free.

Outfitting airports with public Internet access isn’t a new idea, but the Eyjafjallajökull disruption points up the ubiquity of airport wi-fi, as well as its ability to soothe disgruntled passengers. Of the world’s 100 busiest airports, only one–Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz International–currently lacks wi-fi, according to JiWire, a wi-fi ad network that maintains a popular online wi-fi directory. “Wi-fi is a necessity for every airport, like baggage carts,” says Damien Kobel, director of the aviation market research firm DKMA.

Of course, wi-fi availability isn’t the same as wi-fi usage. To determine which airports see the most wi-fi activity, Forbes asked two leading wi-fi service providers–Boingo and
iPass
–for their top traffic generators. Crunching that data left us with a list of the world’s most “wired” airports, led by Chicago and Atlanta in the U.S. and Frankfurt and Paris in Europe.

One caveat: Boingo and iPass cover most large airports, but the diversity of wi-fi providers around the world prevents them from capturing all airport wi-fi connections globally. Some airports, particularly those located in Asia and the Middle East, may be under-represented in their data.

With airport wi-fi so widely available, the question these days is not where to find it, but how it can be improved, says In-Stat analyst Frank Dickson. That could mean converting paid wi-fi to free. A recent study commissioned by Airports Council International (ACI) found that passengers were more satisfied with airports that offered free wi-fi than those that charged for the service. “[People] are used to free wi-fi in other public spaces and do not appreciate the need to pay while at the airport,” the report said.

Maintenance costs may prevent some airports from ever going free, however. A slim majority (55%) of the respondents in the ACI study said they charge for wi-fi, at an average price of $8 an hour. “We have no intention of changing our prices,” says John Rico, chief executive of Rico Enterprises, which maintains the wi-fi networks at O’Hare and Midway in Chicago. “People love the idea of free wi-fi, but there’s no guarantee it won’t fail on you,” adds Rico. Wi-fi at O’Hare and Midway costs $7 for one day or $10 for one month.

Pricing policies tend to vary by region and passenger type. Bustling East Asian “hub” airports such as Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur often provide free wi-fi as well as complimentary kiosks with built-in computers. The reason? These airports attract a lot of budget travelers. “Asian airports in particular see wi-fi as part of the complete passenger experience,” says consultant Kobel.

In contrast, countries with speedy cellular networks promote wi-fi less vigorously. Consider Australia. Though three of its airports rank among the world’s 100 busiest, none of them stands out in terms of wi-fi usage. “Since very fast 3G covers most of the country, Australia never built out an extensive wi-fi structure,” says iPass chief executive Evan Kaplan.

Within the U.S., airport wi-fi coverage can vary dramatically. Analyst Dickson gives his hometown airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor, high marks in terms of wi-fi pricing (free), coverage (broad) and signal strength (“fairly robust”). Newark Airport, which charges for wi-fi, rated much lower. Dickson says spotty coverage led him to an airport coffee shop that limited the number of users to 10 at a time. “It was like wi-fi lotto,” he jokes.

The next frontier for Internet access and air travel is in-flight wi-fi. Most major airlines offer in-air wi-fi or are adding it to their fleets, though they are still experimenting with pricing. While in-flight wi-fi is the domain of airlines–not airports–some companies are working on linking the two to a single login or payment system for convenience. IPass recently teamed with the company Aircell to include in-flight wi-fi in its wi-fi subscription service.

Going online above 10,000 feet isn’t mainstream yet. A November 2009 In-Stat survey found that 4% of respondents had tried in-flight wi-fi. In comparison, nearly 75% had accessed airport wi-fi. Analysts expect that figure to increase with the introduction of more wi-fi-enabled mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers like
Apple’s
iPad.

As more passengers log on, airport network administrators may need to upgrade their technology. One answer is next-generation “4G” wireless standards such as WiMax or LTE, which are designed to be faster and more efficient than current “3G” networks. Kaplan says he expects iPass to include WiMax in its roaming network by 2012. “WiMax won’t change the business travel world in the short term, but in two years, it should be in enough airports to make a difference,” he says.

WiMax’s long reach, which can extend for miles, will also help liberate travelers from the cramped confines of today’s hot spots. “Broadband is still something you have to go to,” notes Kaplan. “Not having to hunt for broadband in an airport–that would be meaningful change.”